AdFreak

'Grindhouse' trailers to become full features

Last year, we wrote about rumors that Machete, a fake movie whose trailer was featured in Grindhouse, would be turned into an actual full-length feature. Now, not only is Machete in production, but another movie advertised in a Grindhouse trailer is on the road to reality. Gore guru Eli Roth tells Cinematical that he's ready to start work soon on Thanksgiving, a slasher flick that harkens back to the holiday-themed horrors of the 1980s. (You can watch Roth's original trailer, packed with nudity and ultraviolence, over on IGN.) If these films end up slaying at the box office, I'm sure it won't be long before we hear from Rob Zombie's Nazi Women of the SS, Edgar Wright's Don't or the fan-created underdog, Hobo With a Shotgun.

—Posted by David Griner

A few of advertising people's favorite things

Given how they prize originality, advertising people can be awfully predictable sometimes. Their tastes in fashion, technology and culture tend to blur together. Now, there's a site that celebrates the sameness of their preferences: Things Marketing People Love, an industry takeoff of sorts on Stuff White People Like. The site is collecting the ties that bind marketing folk together, like an unnatural lust for Nike Plus and Threadless, scribbling in moleskin journals, and wearily and loudly lamenting late hours and unread e-mail messages. Submit your own to the canon on Twitter by sending a message to @tmplove.

—Posted by Brian Morrissey

Driving on drugs is fairly safe until you stop

New Zealand's road-safety ads have their floppy corpses and their bleeding billboards, but Australia has plenty of its own safe-driving shockvertising. Specifically, Victoria's Transport Accident Commission excels at grisly advisories. The gruesome spot above, by Grey Melbourne, cautioning against smoking dope and driving, is no exception. It even tricks you into letting your guard down right before the end. Not to nitpick, but the driver was right to let his sober wife take the wheel, even if he did pick a crappy place to pull over. His ultimately cruel destiny, which could happen to someone who's just tired, not high, seems a bit random for anti-impairment message. TAC can keep you from making boneheaded decisions, but they probably can't do much when fate is out to screw you.

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Skittles linked to premature aging and death

Here's the latest odd Skittles spot from TBWA\Chiat\Day in New York. Forget about Skittles making you feel young and attractive this summer. Instead, they could cause you to lose your hair and your mind, and might actually kill you. There's also the question of why the guy would keep his precious candy hourglass out in the living room if it's so vital to his very existence. What, doesn't he have his own bedroom?

—Posted by David Kiefaber

Enjoy the bright side of life in a Volkswagen

DDB London and director Noam Murro suggest "Positive Thinking" in this musical European spot (above) for the Volkswagen Passat. The song reminds me of "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" (below) from Monty Python's Life of Brian. That sing-along by the crucified still seems good-naturedly sacrilegious three decades later. The VW tune's not bad, but the guy in the ad hasn't really had such a rough day, so he just comes off like a whiner doing a bad Michael Cain impression. Or maybe it's Anthony Newley. Our hero can always sell his Passat to pay the bills. Those sheep in the butcher truck have a lot worse coming to them. Positive thinking won't save them from winding up hoof-deep in mint jelly.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Bas Rutten fights cell-phone plans for Net10

Droga5 and Epoch Films cast mixed-martial-arts badass Bas Rutten in this "Cell Defense" campaign for pre-paid cell-phone company Net10.com. He demonstrates various ways to fight back (physically) against your existing cell-phone plan. (See another video here.) "Cell Defense" ... hilarious! I bet it took two copywriters to think up that one. That said, there is something absurdly amusing about Rutten, who looks like Moby on steroids, repeatedly bellowing "Cancel your face!" as he mock-punches his sparring pal. I guess resorting to violence is OK if your mobile provider won't let you prematurely terminate the plan that you willingly signed up for. That's the American way. The funniest part of the clip is the "Don't try this at home" warning. Yeah, I'm sure kids would never dream of it.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

After ad beef, BK apologizes yet again

One of the week's oddest marketing stories played out with Burger King apologizing for posters showing the goddess Lakshmi after the Hindu American Foundation called the ad "highly disrespectful and offensive to Hindus worldwide." The poster, which appeared only in Spain, showed Lakshmi hovering over food with the phrase "la merienda es sagrada" ("the snack is sacred"). So let me lay this on the line for you: an American foundation took issue with an ad that appeared in a grand total of three restaurants—in Spain. And the global news media didn't exactly set new standards for accuracy. Some outlets reported that she's eating or about to eat the sandwich. Even the U.K.'s Telegraph, which published a picture of the ad with its coverage, claimed she's munching on the treat. Though it appears to be a ham and cheese sandwich here, it's reported as a burger—which is bad, since Hindus have this thing about cows. What's more, the press dredged up BK's Texican Whopper controversy from April where a midget wrestler wore a Mexican flag cape and Mexico was all like, "Oh no, you didn't!" Thanks to the Internet, local ads can now offend the global community. If only it was as useful at spreading ads when there wasn't any controversy. Speaking of controversy, who could forget BK's last tempting bite?

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

The return of Kool-Aid's pitch(er) man

The Kool-Aid Man is back! The disgusting CGI of the '90s is finally gone and Kool-Aid Man is once again a dude in an oversized suit. And though he's no longer bursting through walls, he's still plenty potent. In several new spots ("Kitten" is shown above, "Beach" is below), Kool-Aid Man takes on Soda Man and beats him handily in various competitions. Kool-Aid Man's fancy cargo pants and tweaked slogan, "Delivering more smiles per gallon," might make you think they've dropped his famous "Oh yeah!" catchphrase for good, but I've heard an amusing radio ad where he says nothing more than "Oh yeah!" while a housewife asks him leading questions. Also, it's all over his Kool-Space Web page. Now that Kraft Foods is advertising Kool-Aid year-round instead of just during the summer to steal sales from cash-strapped consumers cutting back on soft drinks, I'd rather watch my main man on heavy rotation than some rival un-anthropomorphic pitcher. Bravo to longtime agency Ogilvy & Mather for bringing back the big guy in red.

—Posted by Rebecca Cullers

BlackBerry, Apple—it's all the same to U2

BlackBerry shares its love for U2 in a spot that's mainly footage of the Irish rockers on stage. Most of the Web buzz has centered on the band—long associated with the iPod and Steve Jobs—eschewing Apple for this RIM promo. As if Bono really cares who signs his checks. The Edge probably texts LG constantly seeking an endorsement deal; there's already an LG Edge phone, and guitarists can be greedy bastards. As for Sister Hazel's newly minted marketing pact with Ford, well, times are tough in Detroit, and that's probably the biggest act the carmaker could afford.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

Dragon Noodle Co.'s wacky Asian invasion

In a print push for The Dragon Noodle Co., a Las Vegas restaurant/sushi bar located in the Monte Carlo casino complex, L.A. shop David&Goliath goes with the flow in a riotous fit of faux pan-Asian persuasion. The campaign's bright super-cheerful Chinese look resembles a eugenics experiment in which a box of exotic firecrackers mated with a Chairman Mao propaganda poster. The copy reads like Simpson-esque hyper-literal translations from a Japanese sales pitch: "Magic tingles await your inside body," "Hoist your feast pants" and "Come to our satisfaction palace, hunger man" are sprinkled alongside wacky images of roosters, cherries, carp, birds, blossoms, sushi with feet and the floating heads of infants and kittens. Those laugh-out-loud lines sound like fortune-cookie come-ons, but there's no denying that the ads break the cookie-cutter mold. (See below for large versions of all ads in the campaign.)

—Posted by Becky Ebenkamp